Skirmish Magic
by Yanna Ruler of Slip-ups
Summary: I really suck at titles, so ignore that, but this is supposed to be what Briars Book would be like if I wrote it
1. Default Chapter

War. Yanna had heard the word on more than one tongue as she slunk through the shadowy alleys of the market square. She stopped and ducked behind a keg of cheap beer to rest and listen to a shopkeeper and a buyer gossip.  
"Did you hear?" Questioned the shopkeeper and he bagged the buyer's purchase, a dozen apples. "Emelans gone and declared war 'gainst Cepoch."  
"Really? Why?" Asked the buyer, leaning on the wooden booth, looking casually interested  
"Found a fishing ship one morning, someone did. All the crew was dead, the lot of 'em. Cepan arrows. All the fish was gone, too." The shopkeeper replied, nodding sagely as he handed the rough canvas bag of apples to the buyer, who dropped the payment on the counter and walked away.  
  
Yanna blinked, and frowned after hearing them. Depending on how she looked at it, war could be good or bad for her. While the war was going, everyone would be distracted. To busy to notice if a single dagger, or a handful of dates went missing. On the other hand, if Emelan lost, who knew what the Cepans would do with the street rats in the city? Well, she thought to herself, plently of time to worry about that matter later. She was hungry.  
  
Abandoning her worrisome thoughts, she stood and dusted off her dirty-beyond-repair gray breeches, and straightened her equally filthy shirt. She walked casualy over to a booth selling vegtables, under the suspicios, watchful glare of the shopkeeper. After a moment of carefully looking over the womans merchandise, she held up her hand and twitched a finger, as if this was something she did everyday. And it was. The shopkeeper froze in midsentence, her mouth hanging half open. Swiftly, Luna snatched an ear of corn and sprinted off to enjoy her meal.   
  
She slowed after a minute, and turned to look behind her, making sure nobody was following her while she tore the white-green husks off the corn, dropping them carelessly onto the ground and walked straight into another person.   
  
She stumbled backwards and caught her ankle on a rain gutter and wrenched it as she fell. Wincing, she pulled herself into sitting position and glared up at the person she had run into.  
  
He had short brown hair and odd, gray-green eyes. He wore a dark red cape, brown breeches and a white tunic. He bent and held out a hand to help her up. She scowled, and swatted his hand away.   
"Watch where your going, daque." She growled, using the word that meant -roughly translated- idiot, in her native language. She grabbed hold of wooden table with her free hand, still clutching her stolen ear of corn with the other, and hauled herself up. The moment she put weight on her bad ankle, Yanna collapsed.   
"Same goes for you, street brat." Responded the boy, a hint of amusement hiding in his voice. Without another word, and bent and pulled her up, draping one of her tanned, skinny arms across the back of his neck.   
"Now, lets get you to the water temple and see if they can fix you up." Instead of fighting back, as she would have done if it wasnt for her ankle, Yanna sighed and let him guide her to the healers at the water temple.  
  
  
Note - Firstly, I dont own any of these charecter accept Yanna, and secondly, this will not be a romance unless a whole lot of people tell me it should be.  
  
  
Ok, what do you think? Dont be nice, be honest. How can I make it better?  
  



	2. Discipline Cottage

A/N - I decided to change the girls name at the last minute, so if you see any Yanna's, pretend that they say Luna  
  
  
  
As they walked through they crowded market streets, getting quiet a few odd glances, Briar jumped and nearly dropped Yanna when Daja's mind slid into his, seeing through his eyes.  
||Who is that?|| She asked, puzzled.  
||Umm...street rat I found.|| Aloud, he asked "Whats your name?"  
"Luna." She replied after a moment without looking up.  
||Did you hobble her so she cant get away?||   
||No!! I...|| Briar grinned as he realized Daja was joking. ||She did something to her ankle.|| With that, he broke there connection.  
"What are you smiling about?" Asked Yanna, one dark eyebrow raised.  
"Oh...my friend, Daja..." He paused, unable to find words to describe it. "Her and I, and my friends Tris and Sandry, we can talk to each other through our mind, even if we're far away." Luna nodded slowly, but didnt reply.  
  
  
When they they reached the water temple, a pale woman with short black hair, making her seem much more pale, showed Luna to a bed, and went to fetch a healer. The boy sat on the edge of her bed, examining a small geranaium plant on a table  
"So, whats yer name?" Luna asked him, staring at the vaulted alabaster ceiling high above them.  
"Roa-I mean, Briar." He said, tracing a finger over a leaf on the plant. He'd been thinking about his own days as a street rat in the Deadman's District. Any further conversation that would have been made was cut short when a healer entered. He glanced at Briar and Luna, then crossed the room to kneel by the foot of her bed. He pressed the heels of his hands on either side of Luna's dirt-streaked ankle, muttered some nonsense incantation, and left.  
"That was fast." Luna remarked, sitting up and testing out her ankle.  
"Yes, it was. Now, lets get you back to my house. I'll repay you for that corn."  
"...Ok." Luna replied calmly, standing up. Briar tilted his head and looked at her suspiciosly. No true street kid would do that without a fight. Maybe it had been longer than he thought since she'd eaten.   
  
The minute they stepped outside the Water Temple, Luna turned to him and held up her hand. She flicked her finger, and turned around. Briar grabbed her arm. She turned around, her mouth hanging open.  
"Where are you going? If you dont want to come, just tell me."   
"You...you can move..." She sounded dumbfounded.  
"Yes, havent you noticed yet? Whats wrong?"   
"Your supposed to..." Her eyebrows came together in a thoughtful, confused expression "When I do that, people...shopkeepers, they...freeze." She explained awkwardly.   
||Tris, I need you.|| Briar called. Tris, who was actually in a good mood, complied, and sank into Briars body, lending him her unnusual vision. "Ok, could you do that again? That little finger thing?" Slowly, as if she felt stupid, Luna raised her hand and twitched a finger. Silvery wisps of magic emanated from it. It was Briar's turn to have his mouth hang open. Briskly, he grabbed her bony wrist and began tugging Luna towards the Winding Cirlce  
"Your coming with me, Luna. Niko will know what to do."  
"Oh, no you dont" She said, digging her bare heels into the dirt roads. "I like livin' here. Besides" She tried to yank her arm from Briars grip, and failed. "Since when am I your responsibility?"   
Briar did not reply. Isntead, he pulled the door to Discipline open, and pushed her inside. Luna grimaced.  
"Who is that?" Snapped Rosethorn, looking up from where she sat at the table, quill in hand.  
"Luna." Briar walked across the room, and quietly informed Rosethorn about the days events.  
"My.." She murmured, more to herself than Briar. "That is a good reason to bring her home. We'll have to see what Niklaren says. Its getting late. She can have the room next to yours. I think theres an extra bed up there." Briar turned to Luna, who sighed, defeated, and allowed herself to be led upstairs into the spare room. She ate 3 bowls of leek soup before Rosethron said she'd had enough.  
  
Just as she was about to lie down, the door cracked open, and a wide-eyed, blond haired girl poked her head in, and, seeing Luna wasnt asleep, stepped all the way into the room.  
"Hi. Im Sandry. I live here to. Briar told me you've got a weird kind of magic." She sat on the bed next to Luna, who scooted away. Sandry didnt notice. "I think thats really interesting. Well, I'll see you later." She got up and walked out. Luna looked after her, then shrugged, and fell alseep as soon as her head touched the feather pillow, hoping not all of Briars friend were as talkative as Sandry.   
  
  
  



	3. Niko

Luna woke up the next morning, and considerred escaping out the window, then remembered she was on the second story, and decided against it. She reached the bottom stair and was brough up short, when she saw 2 unfamiliar faces, besides Briar and the woman from last night. One was a tall, thin, serios looking man. The other was a chubby red-head wearing a pair of spectacles, still another was a sturdy girl with chocolate-colored skin. In addition, a large white dog sat by the redheads feet, his tail thumping gently against the hardwood floor. Luna backed up step and tripped on the last stair.  
"Ouch!" She hissed, and scrambled to her feet. Everyone stared at her.  
"Luna, thats Niko." Briar said, gesturing towards the tall man. "He'll know what to do with me?"  
"Know what to do with me!? I dont want anything done with me! I want to go home!" Luna sounded hysterical  
"Magic can be a dangerous thing, especially if it possessed by an un-trained homeless girl." Luna glared at him, then sighed and collapsed into a chair.  
"Alright, alright. What do you want me to do?"   
"Well, first, we have to find out how to train you, and why your magic didnt work on Briar" Niko replied. "Little Bear." The dog looked up at him expectantly. He pointed towards Luna, and the dog trotted to sit in front of Luna.  
"Now, try to freeze him." Luna held up her hand, and the dog froze, his tongue hanging half way out of his mouth.   
"Unfreeze him" Commanded Niko. Luna complied by repeating her finger-twitch, and Little Bear finished his pant.   
"Try it on me." Luna hesitated, then attempted to freeze Niko, without success.  
Niko said nothing more, but seemed to be thinking.  
"It seems that Luna's magic is only effective on animals, and non-magic people." He concluded finally. Tris opened her mouth, and Briar could almost see the gears working in her head.  
"What if...how many people can you do that to at once, Luna?" She asked sharply.   
"Im not sure. Maybe 30 at a time-"  
"She in untrained" interupted Niko. "If we were to find someone to teach her, she might be able to freeze a whole army..." Niko trailed off and stared at Tris, catching her drift.  
"What do you want me to do?" Luna asked suspiciosly, glaring at Tris.  
"I think..." Began Tris, and stopped, carefully formulating a reply. "You've heard that Emelans declared war. Well, I was thinking, if you learned how to control your power quick enough, you might be able to freeze the Cepan army." She finished. Luna paled, her eyes widened.  
"I cant do that!" She squeeked in protest.  
"Come on Luna. When you do it-"  
"IF I do it." Luna put it sourly. Briar ignored her.  
"-you'll be a herione! People will pay to talk to you! You'll be rich! Think about it, ok?" He planted his hand on her shoulders, and stared into her eyes. She looked away.  
"Oh, alright. But I can tell you know, if I mess it up, its your fault. Can I have something to eat?" 


End file.
